To Face the Fear
by sammietyler
Summary: Sequel of Love of my Life, my Soul Mate. Hogwarts is over, and Hermione, Draco, Harry and the others are stepping out into the real world. Friendship, Love, lies, secrets and betrayals can happen, but it is how Hermione faces her fears in order to live her life to the fullest.


**Hello everyone, I am back. This has taken me a while to update but the real world has been a nightmare due to how ridiculous I have been. I have attempted to write this chapter so many times, but working 2/3 jobs and studying took away all my free time. But now I have some time on my hands, I am now able to update.**

**Those wanting to read this story, this is a sequal of "Love of my life, my Soul Mate", so I suggest reading it first before continuing on with this one. **

**Hope you enjoy**

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><p>Chapter one: Out in the Open<p>

I was sitting in the kitchen of my parents…I'm sorry, my house, reading the Daily Prophet. Plastered on the front page of the paper was a picture of Draco and I on our first public date in Hogsmede at the end of final year at Hogwarts.

**HAS THE SLYTHERIN PRINCE TAKEN THE GRYFFINDOR PRINCESS OFF THE MARKET? HAS MISS GRANGER LOST HER SANITY?**

I slammed the paper down in a fury. That bloody woman Rita Skeeter, sticking her nose into my business one more time. I headed over to the study in the house a pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill and sat to write a letter.

_Miss Skeeter._

_You and I have crossed paths once again. In case you have forgotten of our deal we made in my fourth year, I think the Ministry would love to find out about you being an unregistered animagus. Please stay out of my business and I will stay out of yours._

_Hermione Granger_.

I folded the letter up and called over my new owl called Sapphire and handed her the letter. She nibbled my finger out of affection and flew out of the open study window. That woman was all I could think of as I paced around my house in order to calm myself down. She aggravates me so much, what gives her the right to spy on people like she does? Nothing! If she doesn't stop I will be writing a letter to the ministry and exposure her to everyone. Next thing I knew I heard a loud sound and saw Ginny standing in my living room.

"Hermione!" She cried out.

"What?" I asked her.

"Why are you not ready? Today is graduation and we have to be at Hogwarts in four hours!" Ginny exclaimed. I looked at her in disbelief.

"Four hours? Ginny it will not take me that long to get ready," I pointed out to her as I sat down at my desk looking at the pile of job application forms, and selecting on to fill out.

"You can't be serious…Hermione Granger, you promised weeks ago that you were going to help me get ready!" Ginny said her voice slightly raised. I turned to look at her an eyebrow raised and a slight smirk on my lips. Ginny narrowed her eyes at me.

"Just because you are with him, does not mean you can smirk like him."

I couldn't help but laugh as I stood up. I think Ginny has suffered enough so I grabbed her arm and apparated to Ginny and Harry's apartment. As soon as we arrived, Ginny grabbed my arm and dragged me to her room, where it looked as if it has been ransacked. My mouth fell open in shock as I observed the scene.

"Ginny what happened here?" I asked her, my eyes not being able leave the site. How can such a tiny girl create such a mess?

"I couldn't find anything nice to wear that won't clash with my hair," Ginny said sheepishly.

"Ginny you have lots of nice things to wear. So hurry up and just choose one." I replied bluntly as I tried to make my way over to her bed in order to take a seat.

"I know Hermione, but this is graduation, and I want to look nice for Harry you know. Today is a special day," Ginny muttered quietly, but I still heard her. My eyes widened when I realised what she meant. Were my best friends finally at that stage in their relationship? I had not even realised, but to be honest they have been together through so much. "I know what you are thinking Hermione, but I am ready, and there is nothing you can say to change my mind." Ginny continued speaking louder this time.

"Ginny I wasn't going to say anything. But I am proud of you that you didn't rush into the more physical side of your relationship straight away. What is Ron going to say?" I asked, as I watched Ginny flick through her wardrobe.

"Honestly Hermione, I don't care that Ron has to say. This is between Harry and I. We have been together three years, we have been through a war and we still managed to come out the other side together. I am ready and so is he." Ginny finished as she pulled a sparkly blue dress out of her wardrobe. "What about this?" she asked. I shook my head, and Ginny proceeded to throw the dress over her shoulder and continued flicking through her wardrobe.

"So what about you and Draco, how's things going?" Ginny asked me.

"Things are going alright. I haven't seen him in a few days because he has been spending time with him mother while his father is back in Azkaban." I replied to him.

"Have you guys sealed the deal yet?" I glanced up at Ginny and looked back at my watch trying to avoid the question. "Have you guys even kissed yet?" I shook my head. "'Mione! You guys have been together since before Christmas. He dotes on you hand and foot. He loves you and you love him. How have you not kissed him yet?" I shrugged. In all honesty I don't know why we haven't kissed properly yet, but then looking back on it, a lot of things happened. It was a tricky time in my life. Organising a funeral, being kidnapped, N.E. , breaking through the Hogwarts House divide was hard enough. Draco finally came out of his shell, then the whole issue with Pansy and Lucius, the both of us are in no rush because we know that we have the rest of our lives to see what will happen, to see which way our lives are going to go. I'm excited to see where my life goes and what happens, that I have been hung up on the fact Draco and I still haven't kissed just yet. Deep in my thoughts, I glanced at my watch as the time continued to tick by, graduation is getting closer, and Ginny hasn't found a dress and I am still not ready.

"Ginny, we have to be at Hogwarts in under two hours. Have you found a dress yet?" I asked her as I started to stand up, and at this point Ginny turned around holding a deep green dress summer dress.

"This?" Ginny asked me seriously, and all I could do is smile in response.

"That's your dress." Ginny jumped up in joy as she tried on her dress, and looked at herself in the mirror. "You look beautiful Gin. Right I don't want to be a spoilsport, but I'm going to head home and find something to wear. Make sure you are at mine in an hour and a half so we can floo over to Hogwarts." I reminded her as I went to apparate home.

Once I got home I quickly jumped into a nice warm shower, and managed to clear my head. In an hour and a half, I will be at graduation. In an hour and a half I will find out the next step in my life. In an hour and a half I will say hello to friends, and hopefully say goodbye to some enemies for good. I climbed out of the shower and proceeded to get ready, beginning with taming my hair. After locating my wand, I performed a drying spell and used the potions that I ordered from Witch Weekly to de frizz my hair leaving my hair with a slight wave. Using quite a few pins I pinned my hair into an elegant up-do, before beginning to apply the little bit of makeup that I wear. Not much but just enough to keep an elegant natural look. And finally for my dress, I decided on a pale blue summer dress. It had a halter neck top and is figure hugging up till my hips where it flowed out towards my knees. I checked myself in the mirror and figured that I looked all right, before going into the study and picking up my graduation speech, when I heard Ginny apparate into my house.

"Hermione, where are you?" I heard her call out from the living room.

"Coming," I replied as I picked up my bag ensuring my speech was in there, and picked up my wand and headed downstairs.

"You look lovely Hermione," Ginny said when I entered, I smiled in response and handed her the pot with the floo powder. When we both had a handful each Ginny threw hers in watching the flames turn green before she stepped into the fireplace first calling to McGonagall's office. When the flames turned normal, did I throw my powder into the fireplace before stepping in.

When I arrived at McGonagall's office I saw Ginny standing near the door laughing with a group of people all standing with their backs to me. As I headed over I saw Ginny wave at me, causing the group to turn around and I came face to face with Ron and Harry. I ran over to them and they pulled me into a group hug.

"Hello Hermione," Harry beamed. I couldn't stop smiling at my two best friends when I heard another voice behind me.

"Granger."

I smiled in expectation as I turned around and came face to face with the man of my life.

"Malfoy," I replied with a smirk that he would be proud of. Draco walked over to me and wrapped his arms around me, lifting my off my feet. I smiled up at him as he placed my back on the floor gazing down at me with a soft smile on his face.

"I missed you," he whispered in my ear so the others couldn't hear he didn't want to be embarrassed.

"I missed you too," I replied as I took hold of his hand and headed back over to my friends.

"So Hermione,"

"Yes, Ronald?" I replied as we all headed out of McGonagall office and we started to make our way over to the great hall.

"I feel like I should just get rid of the elephant or beetle in the room, but Skeeter…" he trailed off. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ginny punch Ron in the arm while giving him a withering look.

"Yes, that bloody woman. I have written her a letter already with a little bit of a threat as a warning." I replied calmly as we made our way down the stairs.

"Threat?" Draco asked me with a look of pride in his eyes "Oh Gryffindor princess, how I fall in love with you a bit more each day."

"Well threat, blackmail a little warning. You know she's a unregistered animagus, well I told her that if she keeps prying into my business I may accidently inform the ministry of this fact. You know how the ministry likes their rules." I smiled.

"How did you know she was an unregistered animagus?" Draco asked.

"Malfoy, how many times do we have to tell you, that you are not the brightest witch or wizard of our age. Your girlfriend is. She noticed in forth year you talking to Skeeter, when she was interviewing people for the Daily Prophet throughout the Triwizard Tournament. There is a reason why Skeeter reported the true story about Harry in fifth year, is because of Hermione's control over her." Ron answered. Draco's eyes darted between all of us in absolute shock. It still makes me laugh that after knowing of me for eight years, and getting to know me properly over the last year you would have thought he would be used to our stunts. We didn't hide it well over the years, and we did give him the brief overview of the antics when we finished school.

HGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDM

"Today marks the next vital stepping stone in our lives. Today marks the day that we become adults. Even though some of us have been of age for a couple of years this is a time where we no longer confined and protected within the safety of these school walls, but we branch out into the open world. Throughout our time here at Hogwarts, we have developed from naïve children into the strong adults that we are today. We developed our magical skills, we developed our social skills, friendships started. And some of the friends we have made here will some of our friends for life. These next few months will test these friendships, as the people you are used to constantly see everyday at school, start to move away build their own lives, careers and families. Keeping these friendships will only benefit us, as we need to remember that we are not alone, and there are other people in the same position. Lost and confused trying to find direction, trying to find out where we belong. This time eight years ago, I didn't even know that I was a witch, I planned on going to university and studying to the highest level I could and everything changes. We are all walking away from Hogwarts with the best education and human qualities that well help us throughout our lives. In the smallest moment life can change, friends can become enemy and enemies can become the love of your life. I think what I am trying to say is, I used to plan everything out in my life, and have complete control over the smallest details, but now the way to progress in life is to take each step at a time. Because it is hard to accurately predict the future, and even if you could why would you want to? Life is unpredictable, and its hard to hear it from me, you have go to have fun with it." I smiled as I finished my speech watching all of my previous teachers and fellow class mates stand up to applaud me on the graduation speech. Professor McGonagall made her way up to the front of the hall and stood by me.

"Each and everyone of you, passed your N.E. , and not only myself but the other teachers and Dumbledore would have been incredibly proud of you. The fact that you are all here knowing you have passed, even with the stresses of the last few years with the war between Voldemort, shows the sheer strength, determination and dedication that you guys have. After today, you will start to see the potential job opportunities arise, so take the chance and the offers with two hands. This is the real world students, and I will be damned if I see other people take jobs away from you. Congratulations Students, and let the celebrations begin!" McGonagall's Scottish accent echoed around the hall, as all of the students cheered.

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><p><strong>Hi guys, I know that this was a slow chapter, but I 'm just trying to set the pace. There will be a lot more character development over the next couple of chapters. Hope you enjoyed this update, and Chapter 2 will be up later today, it is half written at this point. So bare with me, there will be action, betrayals, secrets all happening with the upcoming chapters so stay tuned :) <strong>


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